On April 21 when he revisited Yasukuni Shrine that honors Class-A
World War II war criminals, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi set an odious precedent: He became the first sitting
Japanese Prime Minister to pay homage to the controversial shrine
twice since the mid-1980s. Koizumi's blatant act gave the green
light to 88 Japanese congressmen on April 23 to swarm into the
shrine. Just half a year ago, during his China tour Koizumi
admitted Japan was responsible for the aggression, and offered a
sincere apology to the Chinese people who suffered. Then why did he
insist on revisiting the shrine, regardless of his own pledges as
well as strong oppositions from other Asian countries?
Firstly, Koizumi's true intention to do homage to the shrine lies
in maintaining his political power. As the prime minister-elect
last year, Koizumi was not an influential party leader but profited
mainly from his image as a statesman determined to carry out reform
as well as from the Japanese people's eagerness for change. Nearly
a year has passed since he took office. Disappointingly, on the one
hand, Koizumi's reforms have not produced any marked effects, and
the Japanese economy remains in the doldrums; on the other,
political scandals have cropped up one after another, seriously
shaking up Koizumi's cabinet. In January, Koizumi gave the axe to
his Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka who had been particularly
helpful in his election. Tsutomu Takebe, minister of agriculture,
forestry and fisheries, has been widely condemned for his
inappropriate handling of the mad cow disease situation. On April
22, President Yutaka Inoue of the House of Councilors was forced to
resign because of a bribery case involving his secretary.
As a result of the economic slump and a whole series of political
scandals, Koizumi's approval rating plummeted from above 80 percent
to a little over 40 percent. Koizumi's government is hanging by a
thread. Therefore, Koizumi expected his second visit to Yasukuni
Shrine to cater to the wishes of conservative forces that hold sway
within his party as well as the wishes of the right-wingers so as
to strengthen his weak power base.
Secondly, Koizumi's revisiting Yasukuni Shrine reflects a recent
conservative trend in Japanese society. After World War II, acting
in its own interests, the United States did not root out militarism
in Japan. Some sentenced war criminals were set free and then
proceeded to regain power. These militarists' political influences
have lasted to this day. Consequently, although most Japanese
people advocate a correct attitude towards history, erroneous
conceptions of history still flood Japanese society. Since the
mid-1980s, the voices of those who want to break the confines of
history and turn Japan into a political superpower have become more
and more powerful. Furthermore, continuous economic recession since
the mid-1990s gave incentive to the rise of a nationalist current
in Japan. In this political background, Koizumi has planned to get
the support of conservative forces and win over at least eight
million votes by revisiting Yasukuni Shrine.
Thirdly, Koizumi's blatant act shows the Japanese government's
diplomatic shortsightedness and vacillation on the question of
history. In the new century, Japan is confronted with political and
economic transformation. On the one hand, it is necessary for Japan
to keep good relations with other Asian countries. On the other
hand, the heavy historical burden has made the Japanese government
indecisive in terms of policy-making. Both China and South Korea
are Japan's major neighbors with whom close political and economic
contacts have been maintained. As this year witnesses both the 30th
anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations as well
as the co-hosting of the 2002 World Cup by Japan and South Korea,
Koizumi does not want the relationship with China and South Korea
to be seriously damaged. Therefore, by describing his surprise
visit to Yasukuni Shrine on April 21 as differentiating ordinary
soldiers killed in action from Class-A war criminals, Koizumi has
hoped to reduce the indignation of China and South Korea to as
small a degree as possible.
Koizumi's self-deception reconfirms the Japanese government's
inconsistency on the question of history. It has been pointed out
by insightful people that to get rid of the historical shadow and
realize its political and diplomatic transformation, Japan must
take a clear-cut stand on its past aggression and have a correct
understanding of history, giving up any unwise illusions to
whitewash history. As an ancient Chinese proverb goes, he who is
not true to his own word deserves to be betrayed by others.
Koizumi's revisiting Yasukuni Shrine for the moment was cheered by
the right-wing forces, but in the long run it will definitely exert
an adverse influence on the thrust of Japan's political policy and
diplomatic relations.
(
The author is People's Daily resident correspondent in
Japan)
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